Table 5.

Fetal liver antioxidant enzyme activities and protein carbonyl concentrations of rats fed either maternal low-protein (MLP) diet or control diet^§

(Mean values with their standard errors)

	Days gestation
	18				20
	Control (n 14)		MLP (n 14)		Control (n 14)		MLP (n 10)
	Mean	sem	Mean	sem	Mean	sem	Mean	sem
GPx (units/mg protein)∥	0·096	0·010	0·103	0·087	0·171	0·013	0·204	0·013
SOD (units/mg protein)¶	0·97	0·10	0·86	0·10	1·53	0·20	1·92	0·23
Catalase (units/mg protein)**	41·57	6·44	38·07	2·78	110·73†	9·78	158·88*†	17·92
Carbonyls (nmol/mg protein)††	0·197	0·026	0·220	0·023	0·372†	0·044	0·399†	0·042

GPx, glutathione peroxidase; SOD, superoxide dismutase.

^*Mean value was significantly different from that of the control group: P<0·05.

^†Mean values were significantly different from those of day 18 gestation within the same maternal dietary group: P<0·05.

^§For details of procedures, see pp. 579–580. Fetal sex had no impact on antioxidant activities or protein carbonyl concentrations and so data are for males and females combined.

^∥GPx activity rose significantly with gestation (P<0·001).

^¶SOD activity rose significantly with gestation (P<0·001).

^**Catalase activity rose significantly with gestation (P<0·001) and varied with the interaction of diet and gestation (P=0·020).

^††Protein carbonyl concentration was influenced by gestation (P<0·001).